My earliest recollections of television are of watching Indiana University basketball. I have watched more hours of basketball than anything else on TV. Growing up in Indiana we did not have a pro football team to watch. The Colts did not move to Indy until 1984 and then they were terrible. Over time my interests changed and I became a football fan, especially as my boys began to grow and they took an interest in it. It is safe to say that I have watched thousands of hours of football and basketball through my life.

Each of these sports is built on the production of a team. While a team may have an all-star or two they depend on a number of people filling roles to make a team successful. Some players are specialists who only do one thing like kick a field goal. Some positions are more general in nature like the sixth man in basketball. Everyone has a role and everyone is important to the end result. In fact, it is rare to see a team become a champion with only one great player. Even the great Michael Jordan walked off the court one time after a loss and said to the camera, “I can’t do it alone.”

I tell you all of this because I am convinced the same thing is true of a Church. The Church is a team. Each and every part is important and helps the success of the whole. A great preacher is a huge asset to a Church but his success will be limited if he is the only one trying to score. The Church needs people to greet and be friendly. It needs nursery workers and people to teach children. It needs people to clean and do maintenance on the building. The Church needs people to visit the sick and elderly. It needs leaders to make decisions and serve selflessly. The Church needs people to serve in dozens of areas to have any success in reaching the lost for God. It needs people willing to reach out and share if they hope to develop people in their faith. Every person has a part and every part is important.

So today I ask a simple question, “What is your contribution to team Church?”

What role do you fill? How are you helping the Church reach its goals? What are you doing for God through the local Church that is furthering His kingdom?

A high school basketball teammate used to say “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Don’t be that weak link.” A little cheesy and trite expression, but it is still true, in sports and in Church.